Missouri Tigers' March Madness Journey Begins

0:00On March 16, Missouri Tigers landed a 10-seed in the NCAA tournament, facing off against the 7-seed Miami Hurricanes in the first round. After wrapping up the regular season at 20 wins and 11 losses, with a 10-8 mark in SEC play, they got a direct spot in the round-of, 64, instead of a play-in game. Earlier this week, bracket experts had pegged them lower, but the selection committee bumped them up and sent the team to St. Louis for the opening. Week in, the closest possible venue to home. Coach Dennis Gates shared that his squad is battle-tested for March madness, with most players boasting prior tournament experience from their time on. Previous rosters. He also mentioned getting a good luck call from his long-time mentor, Leonard Hamilton, who once led Miami. The Tigers have been prepping all season for these high-stakes neutral side battles and Gates stressed avoiding self-inflicted errors to make the most of it. They tip off Friday at 9 p.m. Central time at the Enterprise Center, giving Missouri a fresh shot to turn things around

1:01after a shaky finish to the regular season.